Saturday, August 4

Italeri has some very nice jets, the 5.0 (Rozzers), a tough big rig, the workhorse of the German Panzer Korps and a famous battle writ large (well in 72nd scale anyway) included in their latest new kits - we see box art, decals, colours and some sprues in our August new item preview from Italeri...

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is one of the most famous fighters in the history of aviation and also one with the longest operational life: its history began at the end of the 50s and ended, for some air forces, in mid-2000s.

The sprues & photo-etch from the kit.

From its unique aerodynamic design, characterized by the slender fuselage and very little wing surface, was developed the combat-capable two-seat advanced trainer version TF-104. Among the most widespread version, the TF-104G, produced by Lockheed was a fundamental training step for all the combat pilots before to seat in the F-104G or F-104S single-seat fighter version cockpits. Compared to the single-seat, the TF-104G didn’t have the 20 mm gun and the centerline pylon but, thanks to the General Electric J79 turbojet engine, the pilot and the trainer could have the same flight experience and performance of the fighter version.

Here are some pictures of the kit made up

A lot of N.A.T.O. air forces used the TF-104G to perform training duties as Belgium, Holland, Norway, Spain, Turkey, Germany and Italy.

Since the date of introduction on the market, in the 1990s, the industrial vehicles Renault Marange obtained a rapid commercial success with a lot of units sold. In 2001 the French Company presented a new version characterized by an extensive restyling with a lot of improvement and changes, such as a new grill, a new roof spoiler, and a modified dashboard. The improvements were released to have a better commercial appeal and to be more in line with the changes in customers' needs.

The engine has been re-designed to improved fuel-efficiency. The cabin, offering top comfort to the driver, can be tilted by almost 90° forward for maintenance and was in the top category as far as comfort is concerned.

The Panzer IV was the most extensively used German tank during the Second World War. It represented the “backbone” of the German Panzer Divisions on all operational theaters. The production of Panzer IV Ausf. F, started in 1941, marked a decisive boost in the evolution of the tank. It featured an improved armor on the turret and hull. The first version of Panzer IV F, featuring the traditional 7.5 cm. KwK 37 short-barreled cannon, were not able to fight successfully against the Soviet T-34 and KV-1 heavy armored tank.

Decals for 4 versions in Germn service during WWII

The adoption of the anti-tank design KwK 40 long-barreled cannon, on the Ausf. F2 version, has decisively increased the Panzer IV effectiveness against enemy tanks. Thanks to its new high velocity and high penetration gun, the Panzer IV became, once again, “lethal” on the battlefields.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon, produced by the American company General Dynamics since the late '70s, is a real icon of the military aviation history. It was originally developed, according the United States Air Force need, to provide a modern and effective single-seat air superiority day fighter. However the project has progressively evolved and created an all-weather multirole aircraft able to have an extraordinary operational flexibility The F-16 is characterized by an original design easily recognizable by the frameless bubble canopy, which guarantees great visibility to the pilot.

Decals for 5 versions in Belgian, Italian, Dutch & US service

The F-16 adopted innovative solutions such as the side-mounted control stick, the "fly-by-wire" control system and modern avionics to enhance flight and combat performances. Appreciated by the pilots for its great manoeuvrability and reliability, the “Fighting Falcon” is armed with a 20mm M61 Vulcan internal cannon. Thanks to its hard points and location, it can mount a huge range of offensive weapons as missiles and bombs. The F-16 has been adopted by a lot of air forces around the World and used, often with great effectiveness, in several operational theatres.

The Range Rover Classic can be considered a milestone in the history of off-road vehicles. It was produced in numerous variants and versions from 1970 to 1996. It was the first vehicle produced under the "Range Rover" brand and from 1981 it was available in the two- or four-door version. Thanks to its 4x4 traction and its sturdy structure, simple for construction but very reliable, the Range Rover was able to achieve very good off-road performances. The vehicle was able to obtain, very soon, good commercial success all over the World.

there are decals included for three police vehicles in the 70's included in this kit.

The Range Rover, furthermore, was widely used by bodybuilders to create numerous special versions able to satisfy all types of needs. It has also been used by Police Departments, Security Services and a lot of Public Services Fleet.

The LTV A-7 Corsair II was designed and implemented in the first half of the 1960s to satisfy the specific United States Navy request to have a new carrier-capable light attack aircraft able to replace the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and the piston-powered Douglas A-1 Skyraider. It was directly developed by the fighter Vought F-8 Crusade airframe. The A-7 was characterised by the large frontal air intake under the cabin, by the 35° foldable swept wing to optimize the use and the storage on the aircraft carriers flight decks and by the adoption of a modern Head-up-Display to enhance the operational effectiveness.

Decals for 4 versions in Greek and US Service.

Thanks to its underwing hardpoints the A-7 was able to carry an impressive offensive load based on conventional bombs, guided bombs as the Paveway and air-to-surface missiles. The A-7E was the last version produced for the U.S Navy with an improved operational capabilities and the possibility to use the Harpoon anti-ship missiles and the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles.

The French conquest of Algeria took place between 1830 and 1847. The French colonial policy of the XIX century was based on a progressive expansion in the North African and Sub-Saharan territories.

At the end of the nineteenth century the Tuaregs opposed a fierce resistance to the French troops for the defense of their Central Saharan homeland.

A lot of violent military clashes between the French Foreign Legion troops and the Tuareg Berber troops took place especially in the most remote areas of the Algerian territories were several outposts and forts were built by the French.

The fort in this kit is 1/72nd scale laser cut wood

The wooden fort parts are supplied flat, laser cut ready to be separated from the sheet.

However, the local populations could not compete against the more advanced weapons of French Army. The fighting ended with the signatures of the 1905 and 1917 treaties. The Historical events inspired a lot of novels and movies.

The sprues with the soldiers from each side and the Arab tents are supplied

The most famous movie could be considered "Beau Geste" of 1939 based on the 1924 novel of the same title by P.C. Wren.